St. Patrick's Day Cooking Class

Cooking class today at Raglan Road Restaurant at Disney's Pleasure Island......

What a treat!

I'm planning a trip to Ireland later this spring, so to get it the mood......I went to get a taste of Ireland right here in Orlando.

Pictured here is a new book by Chef Kevin Dundon - added to 2 earlier books in his reperatoir. Recipes in the class were taken from his books, including a moist and tasty brown soda bread, leek and potato soup, spring greens salad with poached pears, sauteed cod with vegetables and and a selection of yummy desserts!

Emphasis was on fresh ingredients - from freshly caught seafood to fresh vegetables and fruits.

Everything tasted great and I can't wait to go to Ireland!!

Mole' Sauces in Oaxaca, Mexico

Mole' Sauces you can love -

If you've ever had Mexican food with a REALLY good sauce...you were probably enjoying a mole' sauce.

I remember eating one such sauce at El Abuelito in Jackson Hole, WY...thinking of that sauce makes my mouth water!!

Here is another shot of the breakfast offerings that were in the "hole in the wall" restaurant that I wrote about last time.

In an earlier blog, I wrote about the different colors and flavors of mole' sauces - literally ground concoctions. I didn't taste all of these, but these sauces are what makes the food sing!

I recently made 2 mole' sauces in my kitchen. One was green (mole verde) with tomatillos, green tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos, white beans and about a dozen other ingredients!

The other was a Coloradito Mole', a dark red color, with garlic, onion, tomatoes, oregano, chilies, raisins, almonds, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and another dozen ingredients.

The process of making these sauces may be lengthy, but the product is worth it. When making a mole', cook up a large batch and freeze the extra in small containers. What a treat to have mole' sauces ready to add to something as simple as a sauteed chicken breast.....or on a grilled pork chop or with pulled pork....Or, for the vegetarians.....stirred into boiled beans and served in a heated corn tortilla!

Excuse me while I go get a mole' out of the freezer!

Breakfast with the Oaxacans

A Best Breakfast Ever........in Oaxaca!!

Oaxaca has wonderful breakfast restaurants with tasty native foods - from sauteed squash blossoms to guacamole. These eateries are safe bets, you can order from an English menu, and you may even get what you thought you ordered! (Now, that's another story!)

I like to follow the locals to see where they eat! And, they do like to eat interesting breakfasts - try tacos topped with crumbly cheese and fried grasshoppers!! I have pics of that....although I found some other choices, too!

I found our best breakfast in Oaxaca by following locals (and my nose) through a sliver of an opening off a side street! Boy - was I excited by the foods I saw! I trooped back to the villa, rallied my travel mates and we were off to breakfast. To be honest, they were straggling along, not so sure of my "hole in the wall" choice!

The place was filling with locals.....no one spoke English and despite the fact that I speak no Spanish, I became the designated order placer!!

Easy....I ordered by pointing to foods that were on the plates of the other patrons. Then, I watched as our order was filled. In the adjacent courtyard, masa from a huge pan of dough was pressed into tortillas, then cooked on a wood-fired comal. When the tortillas were done, they were passed through a window into the kitchen of the restaurant! Talk about fresh!!!

Next I added toppings from the choices as shown in the photo. Paula had a black bean filling, Steve had a squash dish with red mole' and I had green beans with egg. Like - great! I could eat breakfast there every day!

A few simple, fresh ingredients, well- prepared, cooked with the perfect herbs, spices and love.....little fat, no sugar nor preservatives.....just "real" food! Yum.

Oaxaca, Mexico - yummmmmmm!!!

Hello again -

Wow - It's been 3 months since my trip to Oaxaca and I can still "feel" the trip! As in, a good way!

If you are thinking of going south, love food, want to meet great people with a proud heritage, appreciate fine crafts, easy access to loads of cultural events, and nonstop fun ...get your ticket to Oaxaca.

Food....as authentic as it gets, was available from our first step in the city. Can you imagine me....the consummate food safety/cleanliness advocate....eating street food within an hour of our landing? Yes, I was eating tamales taken from a bucket on the street of Oaxaca at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night - oh, well, seize the moment!

The photo shows the remnants of our late night snack! It became our breakfast the next morning....along with some wonderful bakery items!

The streetside vendor had four kinds of tamales in his bucket and, of course, I asked for one of each! Masa and herbs, masa with chicken and mole', one with beans, one with masa and red pepper....all terrific!

At Seasons of the Heart cooking school we would learn more about the seven moles' of Oaxaca - from nearly black in color to red to yellow to green. Each made with different ingredients - the two darker ones flavored with the addition of Mexican chocolate - all with different chilies, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and spices!

I've made two mole' sauces (mole' meaning ground concoction) in my own kitchen - they met with rave reviews!

If you want a wonderful cookbook loaded with authentic recipes and great stories of the people and customs of Oaxaca, get a copy of Seasons of my Heart by Susana Trilling. I'm not letting my copy out of my sight! :)

Til later -

Marz

Let's catch up!

Since my last blog entry, I've made Hans soup recipe several times. Wow - was it yummy....I just didn't get around to sharing the recipe with you!

In the meantime, I've been to 5 countries, eaten fabulous food, gleaned wonderful recipes and had a great time in the process. I promise to share recipes and experiences from each of those countries!

Here is a picture taken on my most recent trip. Susana Trilling's cooking school outside of Oaxaca, Mexico, is a phenomenal place. The whole day spent with her and her team was incredible. The 5-course dinner at the end of the day was memorable. I can't wait to go back!

So for now, take a look at the picture and know that I'll be back to share more.....real soon!

German Sausage Soup

In September, when my husband and I arrived in Hannover, Germany, in the home of Hans and Bea, we were exhausted from many hours of travel.

It was early evening and Hans had prepared a wonderful German Sausage Soup for us. It was delicious and just what we needed. With it, he served great those great dark rich, thinly-sliced German breads and sliced cheeses. Perfect for the weary travelers!

I sometimes serve a soup to guests when they arrive. I think of it as homey, welcoming and comforting. Regardless of how far someone has traveled, a soup can sooth the body and soul!

In the next blog, I will give you my version of Hans soup. I know that a good sausage is essential. Hans told me the main ingredients and even took me to an open-air market to show me the kind of cabbage he used. (His electronic dictionary didn't help with the translation here!)

We literally "ate our way" through Germany - 12 days- and then through Croatia for another 6 days. Thankfully we walked a lot! Every time we went to the 6th floor of our apartment in Berlin, we passed by the elevator and took the stairs - 116 steps in all!! In Dubrovnik, we walked around the old town using the ancient wall. There's another 300 steps! That deserves some more good food - right? That was our philosophy.

Till next week -

Mary

French Crepes

If you haven't read the book, "My Life in France," check it out. I loved it!!! Okay, so I am a foodie and huge fan of Julia Child. Regardless of that, this book is a great read and you can develop more of an appreciation of how her late-blooming career developed. Lovely story!

Here's the recipe I use for crepes:

BASIC SWEET CREPES

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup cold milk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup melted butter (Yes...butter!)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Place all ingredients, except vegetable oil, in a blender, following the order as listed. Blend for 1 minute.

2. Refrigerate 2 hours or more to allow the flour particles to swell and soften.

3. Heat a skillet or crepe pan. Coat lightly with some of the vegetable oil. Pour in about 3 tablespoons batter. Quickly tilt the pan so the batter forms a 6-inch circle.

4. Cook 1 minute or until lightly browned. Turn the crepe and cook 30 seconds. Place on a rack to cool. Repeat cooking with remaining batter. These can be made ahead, stacked between layers of waxed paper and refrigerated. Makes 12 crepes.

Sweet fillings can be anything from sliced fruits and whipped cream to nutella as shown in the photo in the previous blog. Bing cherries and Rainier cherries are in season now. These could easily be simmered in cherry or apple jelly for a super-simple filling. Maybe my next blog will be whatever recipe I create for a cherry filling! Yummmmm....